What Stays at Rossi's hotel room
by CriminallyCecy
Summary: Post "What Stays at Home", Rossi realizes he has feelings for Seaver and wants to protect her job. M in future chapters!
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: I just don't think there is enough Rossi/Seaver pairings, a match I think is just too ironic and romantic not to explore. So, be kind, here is my first attempt! **

**Post S6, 'What stays at home'.**

**P.s. I don't own Criminal Minds… Because if I did Rossi would be Unit Chief, not Hotch... ;)**

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"Children begin by loving their parents, as they grow up, they judge them. Sometimes, they forgive them." – writer Oscar Wilde.

"I know you're too busy to _just visit_." Ashley said without looking Rossi in the eyes as they walked away from the FBI training course.

"I want to show you something." Rossi said carefully.

"Because of my impressive academy scores or my childhood?" She quipped.

"Lets take a ride." Rossi answered, without looking at Ashley.

**(BAU)**

"I told Ashley she may be able to help us with this case." Rossi explained to Hotch.

"So this isn't about my academic scores?"Ashley asked boldly after Hotch's debrief of the case. She was more than vaguely aware of how Rossi was studying her closely. _Jesus, if he doesn't stop… _Rossi's eyes felt like they were singeing her skin.

"No." Rossi seemed to come out of his trance.

"Right, I see." She felt disappointed.

"You have some concerns?" Hotch's stoic stare was a welcome interruption of having to address Rossi when she was starting to feel this self conscious. _What is he staring at? _

"I want to help, and I know that I can, but I don't think I can tell you what to look for without seeing the families for myself." Ashley Seaver had started shaky, but she ended strong. She _knew _she could help.

"You understand you go only as a consultant on this one case?" Hotch asked with finality.

"I understand"

"And you're to do nothing without another member of the team present?" Now with warning.

"Yes sir." She gave a small nod for emphasis.

Rossi cut in, his baritone forcing her to look at him. "This won't be easy, Ashley, this could trigger some extremely painful memories…"

"I appreciate the concern, but when your father kills twenty-five women before you're a teenager, painful memories don't need a trigger. They just are." She was becoming impatient with being treated like a child. Rossi might have been there all those years ago when the BAU brought in Charles Bohschaw, might have seen the frightened and confused little girl she was then, but it gave him no right to discount the capable FBI agent she was today.

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Watching Rossi help the little Jacobs' girl into the Las Cruces police cruiser sent shivers down Ashley's spine. An eerie resemblance to her own night being whisked away from a crime scene almost 17 years ago, the same man, much younger then, _her _savior… She could still feel the warm blood spatter on her face, and it was all she could do to open the SUV door and get inside. She felt weak, in the knees, in her stomach. Nausea threatened to overwhelm her, dizziness keeping her from craning her neck towards Rossi's shadow now falling over her, wordlessly closing the SUV door with a worried frown on his face.

_**Christ, she looks like hell… **_Rossi thought. He wanted to comfort her, but he was at a loss as to how. Hotch was upstairs still with Mr. Jacobs' body, with the coroner and the local Police Department Chief. He should be there, helping to wrap this mess up. Rossi took only a second to look back into the SUV, and then walked back into the Jacob's home, now quickly being taped off and the multiple official looking vehicles crowding the street.

"Hotch. I'm taking Seaver back to the hotel." Rossi announced in the upstairs room, where Prentiss and Hotch were speaking with a coroner. Holding up his hands to the retort Hotch was forming, he continued. "You can tear her ass about this later, she's a mess. Barely holding it together out there. The way she looked at that little girl…"

Hotch furrowed his brow further and silently nodded in agreement. He was furious with Seaver for endangering the whole team, for acting so unprofessionally, but he knew it would have to wait. He'd seen the look in Rossi's eyes, there was no arguing with him right now.

Emily gave Aaron a one brow raised quizzical look. She knew a little about the history of Rossi and Bohschaw case but what she had just witnessed seemed far more personal than that. Or was she seeing things? Rossi was often very intense and serious, right?

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**Thanks for reading! Having a lot of fun with this one. =) Let me know what you think!**


	2. Chapter 2

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"Where are we going?" Ashley asked numbly from the back seat, after having noticed the SUV had been moving for a few minutes now, away from the Jacobs house.

"To the hotel. You need to clean up and eat. Then sleep." He answered with a worried look in the rear view mirror, one that she didn't notice. She was staring at the passing streets.

"You're going the wrong way…" She started.

"_My _hotel. I'm not staying in that BAU-budget motel you guys are at… I'm keeping an eye on you tonight. And… you're welcome, by the way, Hotch looked ready to skin you alive." He clicked the turn signal and entered a highway towards Commack.

"I'll never work for the BAU _now._" She said sarcastically, without feeling.

"Never know. I'm still around, and half the stipulations in the BAU handbook were written specifically for me." He grinned proudly at the thought of his reputation for not giving a shit about policy. Of course, when it could've gotten you killed. And with the latter thought his grin went away as quickly as it appeared, a small fire of anger starting in his stomach. "Ashley you could've been killed." He said lowly, half not wanting to hear the words actually spoken.

"I know. I just… nevermind. I would do it again."

Rossi sighed, he would talk to her later about this. She needed to rest… The ghost of a younger Ashley Bohschaw seemed to be appearing on her thin frame, making her already creamy complexion seem pale.

Finally arriving at his five star resort hotel and turning into the lengthy wrap around drive way, Rossi looked back and gave a small smile. "We're here." Ashley didn't wait for him to come around and pull the door open for her. She hated that chivalry bullshit. Numb, head to toe, she was surprised to find herself walking side by side with him, let alone speaking.

"_This _is where you're staying?" She hugged her arms to her body, allowing only a small bit of shock into her voice, as a valet did an awkward jog to meet Rossi and take the keys.

With a nod and a smile, Rossi threw both their go-bags over one shoulder and fingered his way to the room key with the other hand while leading the way. Had you told him earlier that week that the little girl he'd once pulled out a serial killers lair would be coming to his room one night, he'd have laughed and asked to share the scotch.

"Through the left hall there is a guest room, first door on the right… you take a shower and get changed, I'll make us something to eat." Rossi said rather firmly, handing her the deep purple go-bag.

"This isn't a hotel room, Rossi, this is bigger than my apartment…" She mumbled, deftly walking towards the hall.

Rossi hurried to the small kitchen to make her something to eat and felt a small relief when he heard the shower turn on down the hallway. _**There was a lot of blood on her face and neck… **_his mind stopped short as the image of her long neck came to him. It was beautiful, like smooth porcelain. _**Ooh boy… let's not go down that road… **_Rossi warned himself sternly, already having a forbidden longing to make sure that she was in the shower, rinsing all that blood off thoroughly. Stopping momentarily, sandwiches half made, hands gripping the edge of his counter more firmly than he knew, he had totally lost track of all things but the images racing erotically through his minds eye.

Not realizing almost fifteen minutes had passed, Rossi looked like he was still studying with extreme scrutiny something in the bottom of his kitchen sink, a vice like grip on his counter top.

"Rossi?" Seaver stepped tentatively into his dinette area in a borrowed bathrobe, toweling her sopping hair. "Are you okay?"

David Rossi turned then, immediately brought out of his rated-r meditation and his breath caught at the sight of her.

"Yea.. uh.. fine… making sandwiches… are you… _hungry?_" the last word forced, because he could hardly remember what he was asking or saying.

"Sure, thanks." She sat on a barstool opposite of where he stood at the island counter.

After hastily going back to the unfinished meal, mumbling questions about if she wanted mustard or mayonnaise, Rossi was mentally kicking himself and rolling his eyes dramatically behind her into the hiding place of the mini refrigerator where the small condiments were stowed away. _**Get your mind out of the gutter… you're old enough to be her father for godsake… **_

"How's your sandwich?" he felt dumb for asking, he could hear the uncertainty and edginess in his own voice.

"Really good, thanks. You didn't have to go to all this trouble… I can call a cab, I'm fine at the hotel, really. The shower really did the trick…" her voice was soft and full of lies.

An air of uncertainly hung between them…

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**Hoping you like the story and this chapter! =) Love hearing from you guys!**


	3. Chapter 3

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"You _aren't _fine, Ash. You could barely walk back there." She looked up at the use of a new nickname, the hardness in his voice bringing some kind of chill down her spine. And suddenly she wanted to be in his arms, the strong arms that had once pulled her out of hell, the arms that she knew would be warm as a furnace, and hard as a protective barrier.

Without warning and much to Rossi's horror, Ashley's eyes welled to overflowing and spilled over, coming down hard like a rain as she began to shake. In a flash he was by her side, swiveling the barstool to face him and scooping the small frame of a woman into his arms. Once across the common area and nestled into a huge leather chair near the fireplace, Rossi held her, sobbing in his arms, knowing of nothing else to do other than to say everything would be okay.

After a long time, Ashley was silent and still in his lap and he could tell by her steady breathing that she had fallen asleep. _**Shouldn't move… she might wake… **_a careful hand down to the side lever and the chair reclined comfortably. With a blind reach for a throw blanket, he expertly covered them both and allowed himself to drift off with her, knowing as long as she was here in his arms everything would be okay.

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"How is she?" Aaron Hotchner's voice came over Rossi's cell phone.

"Sleeping. As she will be until she feels rested. I'm not bringing her in until she's ready, Aaron." Rossi's voice was cold and final, a tone that was not missed on Hotch.

"Dave, is there something I should know about?" Rossi could just imagine his scowl and pursed lips.

With an exasperated sigh at Aaron's perceptiveness, Rossi grumbled "Not that I'm aware, but I'll keep you posted." His voice seeping of sarcasm, Rossi took a look across his bedroom at the beautiful and peaceful Ashley Seaver in his bed, where he had relocated her, bundled up in a giant down comforter.

"Strauss wants a report before the end of today, keep me posted. If I need to make a visit I will."

"I'll call you later this afternoon. She's exhausted, Aaron. Let her rest. Then you can get your damned report." Placing an irritated hand on his hip he wanted to hang up just then.

"Either way, Dave, that report is due by five p.m. I need a statement. You know the procedures."

"I don't need reminding about the fucking procedures. Thank you." And not being able to take another minute of it, he flipped his cell shut and barely resisted the urge to throw it against a wall.

"Was that Hotch?" Ashley asked groggily, sitting up slowly and rubbing her eyes like a child. The sight made Rossi's chest feel tight, and his anxious footsteps quickly ate up the distance between himself and the king sized, four-poster bed.

"Don't worry about him. Lay back down, I'm bringing you breakfast in bed this morning. Blueberry pancakes okay?" there was a soft smile on his face, his brow high in worry. Ashley was still too full of sleep to register the shock that was filling her mind.

"I need to get to the BAU, I have to give Hotch and Strauss a report… I…"

"Need to rest." He finished for her, softly pushing her back down onto his pillow. "They can have their reports later. Right now you need to recoup. Don't move, Ash, or I'll be very upset to have my breakfast in bed ruined." Without thinking, he dipped to place a kiss on her forehead and left the room, closing the door behind him as if to secure her inside.

_What the heck is happening? It's not as if I was shot or mortally wounded… _But she couldn't think much more about it, a heavy mental tiredness tore at her and the earthy musk of Rossi's cologne on the pillow beneath her was overwhelming. Closing her eyes, Ashley didn't realize she was smiling peacefully.

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"Two Sierra Sunrise specials, please. Room 17A. Yes, two coffee's. Thank you."

_**What are you doing here, Dave? Playing nanny…**_ Rossi was exhausted from a night of worried sleep, watching Ashley go in and out of fitful dreams. _**She needs rest… she doesn't need Aaron ripping her ass about this… **_An internal conflict was starting to rage again, as it had every time he was reminding his thoughts to cool off. It had been years since he had such crippling desire for a woman… That was stuff for young men. He didn't have any such interest or time to be chasing women around bars and keeping up with gooey text messages – leave that for Morgan and Garcia.

Rossi gave a death glare at the door safely guarding Seaver on his bed. _**You're in trouble, old man. **_

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